MODEL PROFILES: BETTE FRANKE

Born in the Netherlands on December 3^rd 1989, Bette Franke was discovered at the age of 14. Whilst out shopping with her mum in Amsterdam, Franke was spotted by Dutch modelling agent Wilma Wakker.

Franke made her international catwalk debut two years later, opening and closing the Jil Sander show in October 2005. Also appearing for Dries Van Noten, Hermes and Emanuel Ungaro, she was named ‘this year’s model’ by WWD. 

Bette’s rise was meteoric, with two contracts signed in early 2006: one for the new Stella McCartney fragrance ‘Stella in Two’, and a cosmetics fragrance with YSL. Franke had signed for two of the biggest brands just a year into her career. Her distinctive face – an intense gaze coupled with the classic sexbomb pout – helped to separate her from the slew of European models flooding the industry.

Returning to the runway in February 2006, Franke added Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Chloe, Givenchy, Lanvin, Marc Jacobs and Prada to her list of credits. She was dubbed a rising star by www.style.com and scored a role in the new Dolce & Gabbana campaign.  Her big-money signings kept coming with a solo campaign for Oscar de la Renta and appearances for Calvin Klein and Hugo Boss.

Franke’s look leant itself so deftly to campaign work, it wasn’t until August 2006 that her talents were applied to major magazine editorials. Appearing for the first time in French Vogue, Bette modelled with Jessica Stam and Han Jin. Bette was a shoo-in for French Vogue, at the time still under the directorship of Carine Roitfeld. Her sultry looks were perfect for French Vogue’s penchant for paying homage to icons such as Bardot and more recent faces such as Emmanuelle Beart and Isabelle Adjani. Described by designer Anna Molinari as having a ‘strong personality and harmonious curves’, Bette’s charm cast a spell that was clearly hard to resist.

Bette had her big runway moment in September 2006, with a mammoth 62-show season. Franke booked shows with Alberta Ferretti, Balmain, Chanel, Jonathan Saunders, Marni, Missoni, Roberto Cavalli, Vera Wang and Versace. A year and a half into her modelling career, Franke was becoming a favourite with the biggest designers in the world.

Shooting her second French Vogue editorial in October, in 2007 she continued to make in-roads with her campaign CV, becoming the face for Blumarine and Celine. Her career hit another high point in October with her very first appearance in Italian Vogue. Photographed by Nathaniel Goldberg, ‘Morning Beauty’ saw Bette modelling exquisitely detailed eveningwear. Beautifully nuanced, Franke gave a performance that lacked for nothing.

Bette’s career moved up another notch with a cover try for Japanese Numero in November. Appearing in the ready-to-wear season in February 2008, Bette booked shows with Anna Sui, Derek Lam, Hussein Chalayan, Michael Kors and Rue du Mail. It was one of her most aesthetically-diverse seasons to date, with Bette working the austere chic of Chalayan with Michael Kors’ Park Avenue glamour. 

Bette’s next RTW season saw her opening shows for Erin Fetherston and Jenny Packham in February 2009 (long before Packham had the Royal seal of approval). Franke’s ability to get picked by up-and-coming designers continued later in the year with Bette walking in shows for Todd Lynn and Mary Katrantzou. Franke ended the year with consecutive editorials for Italian Marie Claire, by photographed by Thierry Le Goues. 

Normally a regular on the catwalk, Bette did not return to the runway until September 2011, but her timing was impeccable. Making her comeback in style, Bette appeared in 54 shows including Alexander Wang, Burberry, Isabel Marant, Nina Ricci, Tom Ford and Valentino. She returned on top form in a season that was all about celebrating the feminine. Spring 2012 has already made its presence known, with pastel colours and delicate fabrics dominating the high-street. This look was just tailor made to make the most of Franke’s features. While some models offer quiet consistency, others shine when the mood of the moment coincides beautifully with what they have to offer. Franke was uniquely placed to take advantage of fashion’s softer season.

Bette ended the year with an appearance in V magazine. Profiling her agency, ‘DNA Powerhouse’ Franke joined current face of Armani, Milou van Groesen, Lindsay Ellingson, and Victoria’s Secret regulars Doutzen Kroes and Alessandra Ambrosio.

Bette’s return to fashion included her biggest couture season to date in January 2012. Walking for Chanel, Dior, Elie Saab, Giambattista Valli and Valentino, Franke’s love affair with the runway continued with another huge RTW season of over 50 shows. Franke’s standing in the industry had lost none of its power, with Bette appearing alongside new modelling talents in a piece for British Vogue. ‘Spring Forward’ featured the best of the S/S collections, including new faces Romee Strijd, Kati Nescher and Codie Young.

Her editorial credits kept coming, with a spread in February’s Harper’s Bazaar and an editorial for Spanish Vogue in March. ‘Uno, Dos, Tres...Mambo!’ saw Bette mastering classically fiery prints from Pucci, plus sultry picks from D&G and Sonia Rykiel.

Then came Franke’s biggest signing to date. Shot in Mexico by Deborah Turbeville, Bette was the latest name to become the face of Valentino. Working with Zuzanna Bijoch, Fei Fei Sun and Maud Welzen, Franke modelled the delicately-worked lace pieces against the backdrop of ancient ruins. Romanticism writ large, this was a perfect collision of model and campaign, celebrating Valentino’s new (and highly successful) exploration of soft, feminine fashion.

Spring 2012 has been Bette’s most prolific season in years, with an amazing 5 campaigns in circulation. Working with male model Harry Gilliam in the new Hermes campaign, Bette joins Anna de Rijk for Hogan and is photographed by Mikael Jansson for Dior Eyewear. Her laser-beam stare comes into its own here, with Bette’s beauty shining through the ad. In an age of laser surgery and contact lenses, eyewear is a tough sell. Bette’s performance in this campaign will have you reaching for your specs.

With two high-fashion editorials in April’s Dazed & Confused and Dutch Vogue, Bette has never been in higher demand. Modelling Twenties-inspired flapper fashion from Gucci, Ralph Lauren and Etro for Vogue and channelling psychedelic pin-up meets Marie Antoinette for Dazed & Confused, Franke is at the top of her game.  

It’s no surprise that this has been Bette’s season. Her looks lend themselves so perfectly to the big trend of the moment that she couldn’t help but clean up. No-one can deny that Bette’s career has been strong, packed with editorial and runway credits, but to get to that next level, a little luck can go a long way. As fashion turned to its more feminine side, Franke grabbed onto that opportunity, and in the process became one of the most popular models of the past 12 months. 

To be a career veteran at the age of 22 is only something that could happen in the modelling world, but Franke finds herself with a career that has never looked better, at a point where other models are contemplating their Plan B. 

Bette’s steady stream of editorial and runway work has ensured that she is now as hotly pursued as a newcomer fresh from their first season. Nine years after her remarkable discovery, Bette’s career is still managing to defy the odds and astonish us all.  A perfect marriage of skill and instinct, Bette Franke is proof that is never too late to be what you might have been. 

HELEN TOPE

MODEL PROFILES: ALICE BURDEU

Although not a name well known beyond the immediate fashion circle, Alice Burdeu is one of the rare success stories to come out of the reality TV show franchise, ‘America’s Next Top Model’.

The programme, devised by former supermodel Tyra Banks, has been so hugely successful that a number of countries across the world have adopted the format for themselves.

Alice Burdeu, born in 1988, auditioned for Cycle 3 of ‘Australia’s Next Top Model’ in 2007. At 5’ 11” she towered over her competitors. She looked conspicuously out of place – her (newly-dyed) red hair and alabaster skin marked her out immediately as someone different – and someone worth watching.

Despite her painfully shy demeanour, Burdeu produced a body of work that was in a different league. In person, she appeared awkward and bashful, but on film she became bold, daring and in terms of fashion edge, completely on-target.

Burdeu made it to the final and won – Alice was an obvious winner, but she was given some crucial advice by the judges. Her look would not suffice for Australian companies wanting upbeat, sun kissed girls to promote their products. Alice’s future was in New York. She took the advice and travelled to America. She impressed Elite Model Management so much they signed her up immediately.

Six months later, Alice debuted at New York Fashion Week. Her list of catwalk credits proved she was no slow-burner. Straight out of the gate, Marc Jacobs, Proenza Schouler and Marchesa all booked Burdeu. For any working model, it would be impressive – but for an absolute beginner, it was an extraordinary coup.

The advice she had been given was absolutely right. Her delicate, editorial look of pale skin and a shock of red hair which looked so out of place on ANTM was a perfect fit for high fashion.

Following New York Fashion Week, the successes began to mount up. Burdeu took part in a D&G campaign shot by Mario Testino, scored 3 Australian Vogue covers and a multi-page editorial spread with British Elle. She became the face of Blumarine Resort, and won another ad campaign (this time with Sonia Rykiel). Getting noticed by the fashion press, Alice was profiled in http://www.style.com/ as a rising star, with http://www.models.com/ capping off the year by naming her one of their Top 10 newcomers to the industry.

This heady whirl of achievement is dazzling, but is all the more surprising considering Burdeu’s background. Eleven seasons in, the original ‘’America’s Next Top Model’ has, to date, failed to produce a model of Burdeu’s calibre.

The reasons for this disparity are not entirely straightforward. The fashion world has seemed reluctant to take on previous winners, with many being forced to branch out into acting or presenting in order to get noticed. Maybe there was an assumption that if someone needed the springboard of a television show, they couldn’t be up to much as a model.

Burdeu wrong-footed this assumption from the get-go: her editorial look propelled her to the top of the industry. However, Burdeu has made it to the top because she is both the exception and exceptional.

Her mournful, Isobel Archer-like quality has made her a favourite in Europe because she embodies that sensibility so completely that it is impossible to resist. Burdeu possesses the ability to seamlessly translate trends with intelligence and insight, and this instinct cannot be taught.

The fact that she has been, so early in her career, accepted into the fashion clan, makes it clear that a good model can be coached, but a great model cannot. Alice’s level of success shows that being a winner in real-life remains very much hit-and-miss. While it can be a rude awakening for some contestants, it is a reminder that the level of success Burdeu has achieved is a rare thing indeed.

ANTM is a television phenomenon, and has done a stellar job in opening up the modelling world to a much wider audience. Once a ‘closed book’, teenage girls know what a ‘go-see’ is, and what constitutes a good portfolio. While this knowledge can only be a good thing, ANTM has also changed the way people view the modelling business.

With a 12-week format, contestants compete against each other in a bid to win a 1-year modelling contract handed out at the end of the series. But while the prize is guaranteed, success is not.

Alice’s meteoric rise proves that the reality show can breed winners, but Burdeu succeeds where so many others have failed because she listened to her instincts. A quick study and willing to not only listen to advice but act on it, Burdeu’s star shines as brightly as it does, because she left the show knowing that a ‘success story’ does not end when the cameras stop rolling. To truly excel takes more than just ticking boxes. Ambition is not nearly enough.

As her demand continues to grow, it is probable that Burdeu’s link with the modelling contest will someday be forgotten. A hit in Paris, she is already working with the biggest names in the fashion world, clocking up runway miles for Lanvin, Alexander McQueen and Louis Vuitton.

The fashion industry‘s welcome to Alice was so immediate because they recognised something special. Burdeu’s awkward stance lends itself perfectly to high-fashion runway, and her bird-like features sit comfortably in what is considered beautiful right now. It is not a face that belongs on a sunscreen commercial, but an intriguing face that inspires more by giving away less. Fashion loves romance, and Alice has that magic – the indefinable something that engenders desire. She tells a story, and we want to know more.

Not resting on her laurels has ensured Burdeu her part in fashion’s future. She has taken the prize and won the game because, quite simply, she is the real deal.

HELEN TOPE